The film "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage" would never have existed were it not for a chance meeting. Nanette and I were enjoying a weekend in our beloved Carmel-by-the-Sea, and were out to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. As we enjoyed our quiet evening, we observed the other guests with whom we were sharing the dining room. Another couple dined just across from us and I remarked that the gentleman was clearly a man of intellect and creativity. I mused that he must either be a professional musician, or perhaps in film. I decided to strike up a conversation and it was there that we began our fast and immediate friendship with Michael and Arla Campus. I shared with him my lifelong dream to bring my artwork to the world of film, and we spent hours dreaming, conceptualizing, conspiring, about how that might be possible.
Michael shared with me a dream to create and direct a film that celebrated all that is truly worthy of the holiday season - the warmth of home, the love of family. We began a beautiful partnership that evening that has resulted in the release of this film, and what I hope someday will be more.
Michael shared with me a dream to create and direct a film that celebrated all that is truly worthy of the holiday season - the warmth of home, the love of family. We began a beautiful partnership that evening that has resulted in the release of this film, and what I hope someday will be more.
4 comments:
Good luck with the film. Can't wait. I'd love to correspond with you re: ProjectHOTSHOTS.org all volunteer, non-profit I founded to help needy kids. Not asking for $$, give aways or time...just to make TK an honorary member. Let me know.
John Gotimer
As an artist and teacher for over 24 years I have taught students to appreciate not only God's creation but to continually labor to improve and refine their writing and drawing skills. The need to strive for excellence is so important!! Through our work we express ourselves but there is the need to teach others to lead even others in the right paths. Thoughts and works that are pure, lovely and of good report are needed more than ever in this generation! Your artwork inspires thoughts and creativity in others too! I appreciated that the Kincade paintings did not include the sordid city street walkers, alleys, dump sites,etc. I love your garden paintings despite their lacking the wilted roses, black spot diseases and various imperfections we daily live with! (we see them in our own gardens but prefer the lovelier sites hanging on our walls.)I love the Kincaid music CD's with orchestration even though the recordings do not include all the flat notes and mistakes of the musicians! The compost piles of life do not have to rob us of the joys and beauty in life! Home can be a haven that renews our strength I had great expectations when I heard there was a film being produced!! I bought the DVD and watched with my family "Christmas Cottage." It was such a disappointment and let down!! We do not watch TV due to the nakedness, foul language, and drunkeness. People repeatedly remind others of the "real world" they think has to be included with it's depravity in America's literature, movies, & media & even school textbooks!! I had higher expectations of a DVD with the Kincade name on it. Your friends and supporters desire consistency that this movie lacked with sensual scenes, shady innuendos, bold filthy references. People can understand that the life of Thom's unsaved father is sinful without the blatant examples and conversation to his sons on the film or the female tramp has a sordid lifestyle without the audience having to hear her comments and watch the men ogling her! This film opportunity to get to know Thom's life story better could have been informative and an inspiring time for families! The "church" scenes were in poor taste and the insulting comedy material was typical of corrupt Hollywood filming! Unfortunately the bulk of offensive scenes outweigh the tender family moments and life lessons conveyed by the story.
Our family of 5 (with 3 college scholars) had hoped for a classic film that we could view repeatedly over the years-and recommend to others! However, the film would have to be filtered and objectionable elements removed for the trust that families have put in Kincade products over the years to be restored.
Mr Kinkade,
I absolutely loved your film!!! It was a very touching story. I got it from "Feature Films for Families", an organization that markets films with family values and this is one of my favorites. I have watched it twice already I raized 8 children and I want them all to see this film with their families. I have always loved your paintings. My daughter & her husband have 9 very lovely paintings of yours. They have lived in Loomis along the old Folsom-Auburn Hwy for about 10 years,and we go to placerville every year for our Christmas trees so we love that part of the country. I have your Screen Saver with the Scriptures and put it on my computer at work. I have had so many people comment on it and want to know where they can get one. I absolutely love your. Thanks again for telling your wonderful story. It is a wonderful Christmas story.
Yours Truly
Grandma Schwitters in Brentwood CA
While the movie may have some "unsavory language" which is very minor in todays society that some find not to their taste, I feel the movie will do more to inspire because people and families will be able to relate more to the story because of the very humanness of the characters.
Yes a TK painting may not have a withered, diseased leaf which is wonderful for a beautiful painting, but in real life people do have problems and quirks. And I have to agree with Mr. Kinkaid that it was his father's absence that taught him more by being gone than being there. Sometimes it is the ugly side of life that teaches us the most. The hard lessons usually are those that teach us to excel. If a child is learning to never make a mistake how will they learn that there maybe other ways to approach a problem in life when faced with an obstacle?
If Thom's dad had given them the money they would not have had to be resourceful and maybe Thom would never have become the "Painter of Light" you so love?
Yes, God does work in mysterious ways sometimes in absent parents, a stranger eating from a dumpster,a mentally ill person begging on a street corner. These things may be distasteful too, but I believe God uses all things for his good in the end. That is the reason for the the First Christmas light that shown over Bethlehem, to save us all.
Glen found that light in the end and knew darkness was not the way but it was through the light, and taught Thom that was important to share that in his paintings and in doing so gives us hope.
In the end I was profoundly affected by the symbolism of the last painting that Glen painted and gave to Thom's family. We are the transient leaves that grow,turn from green to red and die. But it is the light of God behind them, behind us, that we like the characters in the movie though not perfect will live on, because of that light of God's sacrifice.
I personally have seen this movie over a dozen times in the last week since getting it and I am recommending it to everyone as a traditional family movie to watch for generations to come. The movie to me represents the real reason for Christmas. It is that we are not perfect as humans any more than the characters in the movie, but it was through the Christ child coming that we were shown the way through the light. That was what his painting did for the town, it is what his movie gave to me. A renewed sense of hope that in the world filled with so much "me" that there are people even today that shine that light and renew the hopes and dreams that were brought that first Christmas over 2000 years ago.
Like Christ we need to see past the imperfections in others and our own imperfections and see the light again so we too can find hope out of darkness and believe in the goodness of mankind. For therein lies the message of this movie. The hope we find in the light.
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